Trash can lottery millionaire

Massachusetts couple Joseph and Joanne Zagami narrowly escaped losing out on a million dollar scratch card lottery win this week when they mistakenly dumped their winning ticket in the kitchen trash can.

Whilst shopping for groceries the couple bought the scratch card from a vending machine, throwing the ticket into the grocery bag, and then discarding the bag – and the ticket – into the trash after unpacking the groceries.

Fortunately Joseph remembered the ticket the next day and asked his wife whether she had scratched it yet; that triggered a hurried search in which the couple retraced their steps and eventually recovered the ticket, scratched it….and found that they were instant millionaires!

Rather than being paid in instalments over 20 years, the Zagamis opted for the one-time lump sum payment of $650,000 before taxes and $455,000 after taxes, and plan to pay off their mortgage and other debts before taking a vacation.

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